Light-signal system



J. H. HAMMOND, In. LIGHT SIGNAL svsnmi APPLICATION FILED MAY 10' I918- RENEWED FEB. 20, 1922. 1,430,902.

Patented Oct. 3, 1922.

MN.) Hum- III/VENTOR ,4 ms ,momvn Patented Get. 3, 1922.

warren stares 'J'OHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR, 0F GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

LIGHT-SIGNAL SYSTEM.

Application filed May 10, 1918, Serial No. 233,764. Renewed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 588,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HAYS HAM- MOND, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Gloucester, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Light-Signal Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Some of the objects of the present invention are: to provide a signalling means for indicating in a predetermined manner the receiving of a sound'wave emitted from a sending station with a predetermined frequency; to provide a means for controlling the display of a light or lights in accordance with a prearranged signal system; to provide means for interrupting a light signal circuit at definite predetermined intervals whereby signals of a known character are displayed from a given torpedo or other movable body so that when several torpedoes are in operation each may be located by its characteristic signal emitted; to provide means to give out signals from a. submerged dirigible body in accordance with signals emitted from a distant sending station and including sound wave transmission of said signals.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents diagrammatically a receiving system constructed in accordance with this invention for giving out a predetermined signal in response to sound waves; Fig. 2 represents a development of one form of commutator control.

Referring to the drawings, a portion of the body 10 of a torpedo or like dirigible .body

is shown equipped with one form of the receiving and signalling system of the present invention wherein suitable translucent ports 11 are provided in the body and have illuminating means such as the electric lamps 12 suitably mounted respectively on the interior side of the ports, each of which has a reflector 13 for directing the light rays outwardly from the body in a givend'irection.

For controlling the lamps 12 there are arranged in series a circut including a conductor 14, a source of current 15, a ground brush 16, a commutator 17 and a make and break brush 18. The commutator 17 has a body portion 20 of insulating material broken at intervals in the same circumferential plane by a plurality of conducting contacts 21 which lie in the peripheral cylindrical surface of the commutator 17 and in alignment with the brush 18. These .contacts 21 are respectively electrically bonded to a continuous peripheral conducting strip 22 with which the ground brush 16 is in alignment and in contact throughout the movement of the commutator.

In order to rotate the commutator 17 as required by received signals it is mounted upon a shaft 23 carrying a friction roller 24 having contact with a likefriction roller 25 driven by a continuously operating motor 26 in a normally closed circuit including a battery 27. Under non-signalling conditions the commutator 17 is held against rotation by a lug 30 rigid with the commutator and engaging a trip finger 31 formed as a part of a spring-pressed core 32 of a solenoid, 33 and the brushes 16 and 18 may therefore rest normally upon the conducting contacts of the commutator to continuously illuminate the lamps 12 or upon the insulating part of the commutator to break the lamp circuit, according to requirements, though in the preferred arrangement the normal position of the commutator is such as to close the circuit and light the lamps 12.

For the purpose of releasing the commutator 17 to cause definite predetermined signalling by the lamps 12 the solenoid 33 is in a: normally open circuit including the battery 34, relay armature 35 and terminal contact 36. The armature 35 is controlled by an electromagnet 37 in the circuit 38 of a battery 40 and a dector 41 of the evacuated glass bulb type having a terminal 42, a grid 43 and a filament 44 normally heated by a battery 45 in a local closed circuit 46.

In order to actuate the signal means upon the torpedo, sound waves are employed 7 electrical oscillator of well known construc- 1 tion, such for examplcas a massive ring magnet 52 which is arranged to be energized by a coil 53 in series with'a circuit 54 which includes a battery 55, or any other source of direct current for energizing the coil 53. Co-axial with the ring magnet 52 and freely movable therein is a cylindrical copper vibrator 56 which is clamped between two rigid disks 57 both fixedly secured to a rod 60, one end of which is secured to the central part of the diaphragm 50 and the other end of which is slidably supported in a fixed bearing, the said rod 60 being coaxial with the vibrator 56 and perpendicular to the diaphragm 50. A stationary cylindrical armature 61 is loosely arrangedwithin the vibrator 56 and carries a fixed winding 62 one part of which is wound clockwise around the armature 61. The rod 60 passes freely through and is coaxial with the armature 61. The winding 62 is in a circuit 63 including the grid 43 of the detector ll as one terminal and the filament 44 as the other terminal, so that the oscillations set up and transmitted by the electrical oscillator serve to close the circuit of the relay 37 which action results in releasing the signal commutator 17.

To maintain the light circuit operative independently of the incoming signals aswitch 65 is provided in a shunt 66 of the circuit including the solenoid 33 and consequently when this Switch 65 is closed the relay control is short circuited and the solenoid 33 energized to hold the finger 31 of its core 32 out of the path of the lug 30 to release the commutator 17 for turning movement under the action of the motor 26.

In order to utilize the incoming signals to operate the steering or other mechanism of the torpedo or other dirigible body a'circuit is indicated by the conductors 70 leading respectivelyfrom the relay armature 35 and a terminal contact 71 adapted to be engaged by the said armature 35 to close the circuit in accordance with the received signals, and this operates the particular mechanism in a predetermined manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination of a movable body, a light carried bysaid body, means to receive sound waves transmitted from a distant station, and means controlled by said receiving means for causing variations of said light. I

2. The combination of a submerged dirigible body, normally entirely submerged means carried thereby to indicate the location of said body beneath the surface of a bodyof water, and means controlled from a distance for causing said indicating means to give out signals of a predetermined character. r

3. The combination of a submerged dirigible body, a lighting device carried by said body and arranged to indicate the location of said body beneath the surface of a body cuit controlling said device, and means con-' trolled from a distance for opening and closing said circuit in a predetermined manner whereby signals of a predetermined character are given out by said lighting device.

5. The combination of a movable body, a lighting device carried by said body and normally entirely submerged, an electric circuit controlling said device, means responsive to sound waves of predetermined frequency, and means operated by said responsive means for making and breaking said circuit in a predetermined manner to cause said device to ive out signals.

6. The combination of a submerged dirigible body, a normally submerged lighting device carried by said body and arranged to be visible above thesurface of the water surrounding said body, an electric circuit controlling said device, and means controlled from a distance for making and breaking given out by said lighting said circuit to operate said device in a pre- I determined manner.

7. The combination of a submerged diri gible body, a normally Submerged lighting device carried by said body and arranged to be visible above the surface of the water surrounding said body, an electric circuit controlling said device, means responsive to sound waves for causing said circuit to be opened and closed whereby said lighting device is operated intermittently.

8. The combination of a movable body, and a submerged source of light carried. by said body and arranged to be rendered visible as a result of sound waves transmitted from a distance.

9. The combination of a movable body, a submerged source of light carried by said body, and means arrangedto be operatedby sound waves transmitted from a. distance to control said source of light.

10. The combination of a movable body, a submerged source of light carried by said body and arranged to roject light rays 11pwardly through the liody of water, and means controlled by sound waves transmitted from a distance for rendering said source of light visible.

11. The combination of a-movable body, a normally invisible submerged source of light carried by said body and arranged to 12. The combination of a movable body, a lighting device carried thereby and arranged to project rays of light upwardly, said device being normally submerged, and means operated by sound waves transmitted from a distance for causing said device to emit rays of light.

13. The combination of a movable body, a lighting device carried thereby and arranged to project rays of light upwardly, a second lighting device carried by said body and arranged to project rays of light upwardly, said devices being normally submerged and alined with respectto the course of said body, and means operated by sound Waves transmitted from a distance to simultaneously cause said devices to emit rays of light.

14. The combination of a movable body, a plurality of lighting devices carried thereby and arranged to project rays of light upwardly, said devices be normally submerged, and means operated by sound waves transmitted from a distance for simultaneously causing said devices to emit rays of light.

15. The combination of a movable body, a plurality of normally submerged lighting devices carried thereby and aligned to indicate the course of the body, and means operated by sound waves transmitted from a distance to simultaneously cause said devices to emit rays of light.

16. The combination with a movable body, a plurality of submerged lighting devices carried thereby and adapted when actuated to indicate the course of the body, and

means operated by sound waves transmitted from a distance to simultaneously actuate said devices to emit rays of light.

17. The combination of a movable body a plurality of normally submerged lighting devices positioned thereon in alignment respectively with the course of the body, and means operated by sound waves transmitted from a distance to simultaneously cause said devices to emit rays of light.

18. The combination of a movable body adapted to be submerged, means for indicating the direction of movement of said body including a plurality of normally submerged lighting devices positioned on the body in alignment with the course of the body, and means operated by sound waves from a distance for causing signals of a predetermined nature to be given out by said lighting devices. 7

19. The combination of a body adapted to move through one medium, a plurality of lighting devices carried by said body and adapted to emit signalling rays toward another medium to indicate the direction of movement of the body, and means operated by compressional waves through the first named medium for causing said lighting devices to emit signalling rays.

20. The combination of a movabletbody adapted to move through one medium, a plurality of sources of light carried by said body and positioned in alignment with one another and with respect to the course of said body adapted to emit visible rays towards and into a second medium and means operated by compressional waves through the first named medium to simultaneously cause said sources to emit rays of light into the second named medium.

21. The combination of a movable body, a plurality of normally inactive submerged lighting devices carried thereby and aligned to indicate the course of movement of the body, and means operated by compressional waves transmitted from a distance for rendering said devices inactive.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York, this 25th day of April A. D. 1918.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR. 

